


Seconds

by moyzi



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Black Paladin Keith, Death, F/M, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-04
Updated: 2017-02-04
Packaged: 2018-09-21 21:24:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9567170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moyzi/pseuds/moyzi
Summary: Following the death of the black paladin, Keith must accept his new duty.





	

A lot of things can happen in a second.

In a second, one can meet eyes with someone across the room, and that can spark a conversation, a friendship, a relationship, a lifetime of memories. In a second, a driver could be reaching for their phone, and one slight swerve of the wheel could put them six feet under. In a second, someone’s life could be completely changed.

Keith learned that one measly second–or tick, or _whatever_ Allura had called them–can really add up.

In one second, Shiro was dead.

Keith sits now, on the edge of his bed. He sits with an elbow jutting into his knee, his finger between his teeth. He only does it to keep himself quiet, as hiccups jolt his body and warm tears slither down his face.

Keith sits now, still in the under-suit of his paladin gear, the main armor pieces scattered upon his floor, where he stripped of them. His helmet is laying on the floor, pathetically, just beneath where its indent adorns the wall. He sits knowing that the others are all gathered somewhere in the castle, their voices barely breaking the sudden silence, their heads down and movements slow. It’s their way of a quick funeral, of rushed mourning, because halting everything would only endanger them more.

Keith, he didn’t want to wait around. He’d rather skip the uneasy silence. No one dared followed after him when he stormed from his lion, bee-lining straight to the solidarity of his room.

Or at least, he thought. There’s a soft knock at his door suddenly, and it sounds unsure, unconfident. Sliding his finger from between his teeth, he makes a small whimper, one he hopes his visitor didn’t hear. He drags the bare skin of his hand across his face, looks down at his finger to see the bite marks he’s instilled in it. A deep breath, preparing his voice, and he says, “Come in.”

The door slides open, revealing Allura. She’s in her robe now, her hair still fashioned in an updo, as it always is styled with her paladin suit. The skin beneath her eyes is red, inflamed. Her lips part slowly. “Keith, may I?”

Keith nods, scoots over to make room for her. She walks and sits down, the door closing behind her.

They sit there for a while, speechless, looking out towards the bare wall. He flinches at the sudden feeling of her hand sliding up and down his back slowly, a sad attempt at comfort.

He’s too embarrassed to say anything, or to even look at her, but he gets a peek of her from the corner of his eye. Her eyes are glossed over, and her lip is quivering, and he can almost imagine the ball forming in her throat right now.

Keith, he’s never been sure how to comfort someone. He’s never known what to do when his classmates would break into tears after a hard test. Normally, he’d walk right past them.

That’s not an option here. He curls an arm around her middle, pulling her closer to him. He angles himself, rests a hand on the back of her head and coaxes her to his shoulder. As she nuzzles into his neck, she chokes out a sob.

Something takes over him. Keith, who would never cry in front of anyone, is now a blubbering mess. Keith, who would never comfort anyone, is now holding a mourning princess in his arms.

His hand rubs her scalp, his fingers tangling in her hair. Her hand continues to slide up and down his back, running over his spine, sending chills throughout him.

“I’m sorry,” Allura says suddenly, her voice muffled into his neck. He’s not sure what she’s sorry for, but he just nods, and says it back.

She pulls away from him, and by some instinct, they wind up with their foreheads together, their noses nearly touching. The shared air between them is warm.

“Shiro,” Keith begins. Even saying the name sounds weird, as if it should be erased from existence. “Shiro told me that if he didn’t make it–”

“I know,” Allura interrupts. “I want you to pilot the black lion,” she says, repeating the words Shiro had said to him before their mission.

Keith remembers snapping at him then, because that was a terrible attitude to have, because there was no way in hell Shiro wasn’t going to return, because Shiro _had_ to survive. Keith remembers the gentle smile on Shiro’s face, as if he could read Keith’s mind.

“What about Red?”

There is a hesitation. “I suppose it’s my obligation to pilot–”

Keith’s stomach flips. “No,” he says, before he can actually process what he’s saying. “No way. You can’t.”

“There’s a danger in everything,” Allura responds, scrambling to justify the decision. “I’ve made up my mind. Without a fifth pilot, we couldn’t form Voltron at all. We’d be doomed.”

Keith knows this. He knows she _has_ to do it. He knows that now, it’s a matter between life and death, and one paladin has already met the latter. But, even being enlightened by that leaves him nauseous.

He doesn’t want any more people to die. He doesn’t want to lose this family, the only one he’s ever known. He wants to preserve this moment with Allura forever.

He can feel himself drawing closer to her, almost involuntarily, and she doesn’t resist when their lips touch. It’s an awkward peck, if anything, and he finds himself moving back only for Allura’s hands to cup his face and their lips to meet again.

He’s not sure what they’re doing as the kiss deepens. He’s not sure if she even loves him, or has feelings for him, or if it’s only the sadness taking them over, if it’s only the sadness searching for a distraction. He can feel the salt of her tears on her lips, he can feel her warm breath as they part and reunite. He’s not sure what will happen. He only hopes that she’s here with him, for many, many more seconds to come.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


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